


In Need of Comfort of the Furry Kind

by JewellTrim



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Drinking to Cope, Emotional Support Animals, Magnificent Seven AU: ATF, References to Depression, Shapeshifting, mind erasing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 17:17:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8293670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JewellTrim/pseuds/JewellTrim
Summary: Travis is bringing in emotional support for his employees who may need it. One per team. No one know's who it is and they'd like to keep it that way.





	1. Chapter 1

His name is Todd

Ezra sat quietly at his desk at the ATF office of team seven. It had been over two months since he was transferred in as the unit’s undercover agent. The fact that he was there because he was good at what he did, didn’t surprise him. People only wanted him around for that very reason. When it came to trusting him though, he found that no one ever did that. The men on his new team however were interestingly enough the opposite of what he had imagined. They all treated him pretty well. Vin would offer him opportunities to prank the older men and JD invited him to some of the online poker game events he did on occasion. Buck always loved to talk and Josiah was very welcoming. Nathan was good for a nice argument and Chris. Well the team leader he wasn’t quite sure what he thought about him. The man was a mystery to be certain.  
“Hey Ezra, you doing anything tonight? The new Marvel movie is showing.” Asked the young computer expert as he came up to Ezra’s desk.  
Ezra was about to politely refuse when he heard a slamming noise coming from Larabee’s office.  
Buck then walked out the door followed by the blonde himself who was carrying his stuff over his shoulder. He walked passed them without saying a word and everyone was left questioning. Only Buck however seemed to have an idea of what was going on.  
“Chris won’t be around for the next couple of days. Nothing wrong, just likes to be by himself.” Was all the explanation he gave before solemnly going back to his own desk and sitting down to work again.  
JD seemed to have forgotten about the movie and walked quickly to the mustached man to figure out what had happened. Ezra understood that the man and their leader were old friends. He would know what was going on, but that didn’t mean he would say anything.  
Best to leave that one alone.  
Ezra quickly packed his things and got ready to leave himself. While yes he was brought in by Travis to be an undercover agent for team seven, he was also brought in for another assignment by the director. One he preferred that no one knew since it involved everyone as his targets.  
It was a part of the new program that the department was doing. Only the director however knew about it.  
The emotional support animal system.  
Josiah had made a side comment about Ezra being raised by wolves when it came to them having drinks outside of work. The man had a quick tongue and comment for everything. He was also pretty good with cards. Each of the other men learned quickly not to place all their money on the table when playing against him. Josiah was half right in his description of him. Though he wasn’t a wolf, he was of the same canine family.  
According to the records director Travis had given him, Chris lost his family three years ago that weekend. This was to be his first job. If all went well this weekend, Ezra figured that he wouldn’t be asked to leave. Being treated like he wasn’t a rogue agent was nice for a change.

 

 

Chris sat at his ranch house. He had a bottle of beer in his hand and another three packs in his fridge for the long weekend. The picture of his family sat in front of him on the coffee table. All he could think about was his wife and son. How he never had the chance to say goodbye. That he wouldn’t be able to hear their voices again or to ever hold them again.  
Taking a long swig from his bottle, he ran his hands through his hair. Partially tugging at it, he let the frustrated tears run down his cheeks. So absorbed in his grief that he didn’t hear the scratching at the front door. When the tears had finally stopped for a moment, Chris heard a barking noise outside his door. Wiping his face and clearing his throat, he pushed himself up from the couch and walked over to the front door. Pulling it open, he saw a dark brown retriever. It couldn’t be more than three years old. It barked at Chris, wagging its tail.  
Chris cocked his head to the side in confusion before looking around to see if there was an owner lurking nearby.  
Not seeing anyone, he bent down to where he was eye level with the dog.  
“What are you doing out here boy without your leash? Where’s your owner?” He ran his hand through the soft fur.  
The dog picked up one of its front paws and placed it on Chris’s chest. Chris gave a little grin. He stood up, letting the paw fall back to the ground. He gestured for the retriever to go inside and it did.  
“Well aren’t you interesting.” Chris smiled as the dog looked around the house a little before sitting and waiting for Chris to close the door.  
Chris walked back to the couch and picked up his bottle again. The retriever picked that moment to trot on over to where the blonde sat and climb onto the couch.  
“Whoa there. I don’t know if you have fleas on you. Why don’t you stay on the ground for now?” Chris said as he tried pushing the animal off. The retriever plopped down and even offered his stomach to rub, his head slightly resting on Chris’s lap. Sighing and shaking his head, Chris gave in and let the mutt lay there. He scratched the dog’s belly and under his front legs. A happy tongue hung from the side of its mouth as he panted. “Fine you win. You get to stay.”  
The dog licked at Chris’s arm before turning back to looking at the things in the house.  
Chris went back to his bottle and drinking.

 

He was in. Ezra felt fortunate that Chris had a thing for animals. Buck had made a passing comment about Chris owning horses on his ranch and that they each had one on the team. That he also had a dog that had died a year ago. It was easy to connect with that past relationship. All he had to do was not take advantage of it. Playing on his ‘mark’s’ emotions was not the key to this job. His job was to comfort according to Travis.  
Ezra pushed himself up on the couch and looked at the offending bottle of beer in Chris’s possession. How was he to supposed to separate a drinker from his bottle?  
Climbing on Chris’s lap, he pushed the bottle out of the way to demand the man’s full attention.  
“The hell. Look I don’t care if you want to hang here for a while, or even lay on the couch, but don’t disturb me from my drinking.” Chris said gruffly, pushing Ezra off of him.  
Ezra frowned. It wasn’t going to be easy apparently with his job. Climbing off of the couch, he looked at the picture sitting on the table.  
It was a picture of Chris and his family. They looked so happy, and Chris was actually smiling. How was he supposed to get that kind of feeling out of the man?  
Licking the picture, he got a snort out of Chris and he turned to see Chris was leaning back in his seat.  
“Guess you can tell that they’re not here too.” Sighing, Chris went for another bottle of beer.  
Ezra reacted and nipped him on the wrist. “Damnit! What the yell you crazy mutt!”  
Ezra knocked the bottles off of the table, breaking at least two and spilling the liquid.  
“You ass!” Chris shot to his feet and looked ready to beat the dog but he didn’t. He only grabbed his hair in frustration and walked away to cool off. “Almost a big of a pain as Vin and Ezra with your tricks.” He muttered.  
Ezra perked at the sound of his name. He figured that people talked about him behind his back, he never got a chance to listen to what he said.  
Walking up to the man that was standing by himself in the kitchen, he sat by his feet and pawed at his leg.  
“Not now.” Chris murmured.  
Ezra stood on his back legs and reached up to lick Chris’s elbow. Chris patted him on the head.  
“I need fresh air.”  
Ezra watched the blonde make his way to the door and followed him.  
Outside was dark except for the porch light Chris had turned on. Ezra kept beside Chris as they went to the stable.  
“You know, I’ve been raising horses as a hobby for eight years now. I like doing it.” Chris walked up to the first stall where his horse was at. A big black stallion. “For the first time since doing this, I have people who appreciate horses just as much as me. Team seven, the people I work with, they come up here and ride sometimes when we aren’t working. All of them come up here. That is except one.” Ezra knew Chris was talking about him. “I’m not sure if he’d want to. Seems pretty busy doing his own thing. Heard he rejects JD’s offers for movies on a constant basis. Josiah however thinks he has some past history with trust issues or insecurities.” Ezra snorted which made Chris look at him in wonder. “You remind me a little of him. Of Ezra. That’s his name. The slippery bastard always likes to sneak out right when the clock told him it was time to leave.”  
Ezra dipped his head. It was true he would always leave when the clock read six. Maybe he should’ve tried to stay behind at least once and go to the ranch house. It was a pretty sweet place now that he was there.  
Yawning, Ezra got up from where he sat and began walking back to the house.  
Chris watched the dog go and shook his head. The animal seemed just as lazy as Ezra too. After finishing up feeding and taking care of the horses, Chris went inside to see that the dog had somehow opened the fridge and was raiding it.  
“You’ve got to be kidding me. How the hell do you even know how to—never mind.” Chris saw that the cases of beers were sitting in the trash can, curtesy of the strange dog that he decided to let into his house.  
Ezra barked and got into a playful position. If he can make Chris think about something other than his grief, even if it was getting annoyed with him, then his job would’ve been a success. Barely, but a success nonetheless.  
Chris shook his head and walked passed the wagging tail animal.  
Ezra huffed, this was already humiliating, no need to make him beg while he was at it.  
Running till where he almost made Chris trip over him, he stood in front of the blonde and got back into his position, asking for attention.  
Rolling his eyes, Chris found one of his stress balls that he had lying around the house and tossed it to the dog.  
Ezra let it bounce. Yeah, he may give the impression of wanting to do dog games, but he wasn’t about to stope and play fetch. Too demeaning. Ezra walked over to the ball and kicked it back to Chris.  
“You are one lazy but still interesting dogs I’ve ever seen.” Chris muttered as he walked back to the couch. Ezra followed at his heels. Hopping on his hind legs and pulling at Chris’s black tee. “Knock it off.” Chris murmured half-heartedly.  
Ezra kept it up though, before barking and waging his tail.  
Chris pushed Ezra away and Ezra hit him a couple of times with his paws. The two kept going until it back wrestling on the floor. At first Ezra was scared Chris was actually trying to hurt him, but soon figured it was all for fun. He even heard Chris chuckle a couple of times.  
The blonde soon tired out and laid on the floor on his back. Ezra stretched himself out on top of his stomach. Chris reached up and scratched the dog behind the ears.  
“I told myself I wasn’t going to be happy this weekend. That I was going to let myself have one weekend where I can self-loath and wallow in guilt for being the one who survived when I was the target.”  
Ezra perked his ears up. He didn’t know everything about Chris, about his family. Only that they were gone. That they were murdered, was new information to him.  
A tongue licked his cheek and Chris gave a half smile at the dog showing him sympathy.  
‘Man’s best friend’. Yeah dogs were pretty good at reading emotions. His hand absentmindedly strokes the retriever’s back while he lay looking at the ceiling.  
When it was time for him to go to bed, Chris contemplated on just staying on the ground. However, he knew if he did then he’d be sore the next morning. Pushing himself up to his feet, he made his way to his bedroom.  
“You coming?” Chris asked the dog who just laid there on its side. It stayed there for a while before shifting to get up and slowly went to Chris.  
It wasn’t Ezra’s plan to join Chris, but he’d lay beside the bed until the blonde fell asleep.  
Chris only took off his shoes and shirt before dropping in bed. “Staying down there? Figured you’d try and sneak your way onto the bed.”  
Ezra weighed his options and decided he’d be fine to stay at the bottom of the bed.  
Hopping up on the bed, he made a few circles before settling down at Chris’s feet. Chris was silent for a long time until he bent down and pulled the dog up and he laid down with it pressed up against himself and continued to run his hands through its fur.  
It was soothing and both fell asleep.

 

The next day Chris was accompanied around the ranch by the retriever he started calling Todd because it means ‘fox’ which was a trickster. Chris was planning on drinking the day away, but his new companion saw to that never happening. Instead Chris would go on walks along the paths that were on his property. He attended to the horses and did somethings around the house.  
Ezra was satisfied that he had got Chris out of the house and doing something. He knew that his work was far from over. Bringing Chris out of his funk didn’t mean that it was gone. Just a prolonged spiral down.  
Ezra sat to the side watching Chris work the hoes, watering a garden he had growing. He was surprised the man did that kind of thing. Then he figured it was his wife’s garden. Smiling to himself, Ezra got up from his spot and walked up to Chris. He purposefully bent the hoes so the water would stop running. Chris frowned and turned to see the problem. Ezra released his hold and the water shot out again.  
“I know you have nothing better to do then to bother me, but I have chores to do since you won’t let me sit inside.”  
Chris aimed the hoes at Ezra, spraying the dog a little.  
Ezra glared at Chris and started pulling on the hoes. He got shot again with the water for his efforts. Ezra grabbed the hoes and was able to pull the hoes out of the man’s hands and was able to soak the bottom part of Chris’s pants. Chris laughed as he wrestled in the mud with the dog and the hoes. It took a few more minutes before the water fight ended and Chris turned off the hoes. Chris would have to take a shower and clean the dog.  
This was definitely not according to Ezra’s plan. He sat in the bathtub getting scrubbed of the mud that had stuck to his fur coat. It was bad enough getting dirty. It was another thing getting cleaned up by your boss no matter what the circumstances.

Night came around before he knew it and he was resting in bed alongside Chris while the man read. When it was time to sleep, Chris rested an arm over Ezra and fell asleep.

Morning came around and Ezra woke up first. He felt Chris’s hot breath on his face and he shifted in bed. His eyes shot open and he carefully looked down at himself. Apparently his transformation didn’t wait before he left the house. Now he laid in bed alongside Chris’s sleeping figure with nothing but the sheets covering parts of his body. Moving with caution, he moved out of Chris’s hold and slipped out of the bed.  
Chris shifted in bed, but his eyes never opened. Ezra looked around for something to put on and he found a shirt and a pair of pants to put on. Looking back at his ‘mark’, he hoped that he had done something that weekend to help alleviate some of the blonde’s pain.  
Somehow he’d have to find a way to return the clothes.  
He couldn’t help wanting to apologize for leaving like he had to. If he was still needed he’d return.

 

Chris walked into work looking his normal brooding self. Almost an hour later Ezra came in. JD was the first one to ask where the undercover agent had been.  
“Just doing an assignment for director Travis.”  
“What kind of assignment?”  
“One that requires discretion.”  
“I can be discreet.” JD offered.  
“I’m sure you can mister Dunne.” Ezra smiled.  
JD waited awhile before he finally got the hint that he wasn’t going to be told.  
Ezra’s eyes shifted to the office where Chris Larabee was already working. He wondered if his work had paid off any.  
About two hours passed before Chris walked outside of his office to go and meet with the director.

 

“I hope being made to leave for two days and giving you time to heal helped this weekend Chris.” Travis said as Chris sat down.  
“If that time was to be able to be alone then I didn’t get chance. I was preoccupied the entire time.”  
“In a good way I hope.”  
“Some dog came out of nowhere and decided to bother me the entire time.”  
“Is that so?”  
“I know about other departments bringing in emotional support animals and that there have been strange cases with people who can change forms. You wouldn’t happen to be doing that here would you?”  
“Maybe.”  
Chris sighed.  
“It’s for the benefit of you all. You may not appreciate it but someone else might.”  
Chris thought about who the supporter could be. Chris had mostly picked his team with the exception of one undercover agent.  
Buck had told him that he’d been out of the office the same time he was on a recommended leave.  
“They’d prefer it if you don’t reveal their identity to anyone.”  
“Yeah I’d imagine he wouldn’t. Seeing how much he appreciates his reputation and all that.” Chris said as he got up from his seat.  
“The terms were that if he did his job and there was visible results then he’d stay.”  
Chris turned back to the judge.  
“So Ezra’s contract here is only going to stay if I say he did a good job?” Sighing, Chris shook is head, “I’d be lying if I said he didn’t help take my mind off of things. Though knowing what he is will make it harder to the future.”  
“I’m sure it won’t.” Travis said.  
The older man got up form his seat and held something up to eye level to Chris. A flash went off and the blonde blinked a couple of times before looking at Travis in confusion.  
“What the hell am I doing here?”  
“We were talking about your break with the emotional support dog we sent home with you. Did things go well for you?”  
Chris thought about it for a moment before nodding, “Yeah, strangest dog I ever met. Lazy as hell, but could do some fancy tricks. Didn’t have a leash so you’d know what the animal’s name was. So I called it Todd.” Chris smiled at the name.  
“Well if you ever need Todd again just ask.”  
Chris only nodded before walking out of the office back to where his team worked.  
Travis had made a deal to keep Ezra’s secret safe. He didn’t like using a brain wiping device on any of his men, but it only erased back to ten minutes and had no side effects.  
He was surprised that the undercover agent/ emotional support member of team seven had success with his first mission which was pretty difficult. Albeit distraction could only last so long. The man was fricking suicidal last year though. No, this was a success in his book. He only wondered who would be the next to need Ezra’s other form.


	2. Chapter 2

I Called Him Hoss

Ezra was feeling exhausted. The only thing that kept him from skipping out on work or coming in looking disheveled was his mother’s words. Appearances were everything.  
Hell if appearances were everything then his coworkers could learn from this.  
Vin usually dressed in flannel and a jacket over it, his long hair was definitely in need of a cut.  
JD just wore t-shirts with whatever fandom he chose to be in for the day.  
Nathan and Josiah were the only ones who wore suits, but the ties agent Sanchez chose to wear always seemed to clash. It almost was painful to watch the pattern thing fly by him as the man walked by his desk.  
Chris wore his habitual black suit. Everything was black on that man. One the occasions he wasn’t wearing his suits, he was wearing a black tee and black jeans. A black leather jacket covered his tee. The man was consistent and at least kept it mostly professional.  
Wilmington could be wearing nice clothes when he walked in, but before the day was over, he’d be in shorts and a t-shirt. This was mostly the case because of Vin and JD’s little pranks, but other times the man spilled coffee on his pants in a rush to complete something or got mustard on his shirt while eating.  
At times, Standish wondered if he wanted to stay on the team. While the men were great, they played around a lot. Buck could’ve stopped the pranks the first time it happened. Instead he let it continue, thus chaos continued to reign in the room.  
A text appeared on his phone and he pushed himself from his chair and smoothed out his suit. Making his way to the director’s office, he caught the straying glance of Tanner. He wondered if the man had any clue of what he was.

 

Travis had Ezra sit down across from him and handed him a folder.  
“Your next assignment. Here’s the location you’ll be headed.”  
Ezra frowned. What were the odds?  
“Why mister Wilmington? He seems perfectly fine to me. His behavior is not out of the ordinary.”  
“Wilmington is very good at not letting people on about what is really going in his head. He’s like you in that manner.” Ezra wanted to snort at the comment but he didn’t, “I think you’re aware that Buck and Chris are old friends.”  
“Yes sir.”  
“He knew Chris’s wife and son. They were family to him too.”  
Ezra nodded, understanding better now.  
“So how long? Are you going to have him take a few days off like mister Larabee?”  
“No, I think you can do this in the small time he’s at home after work.”  
Ezra wanted to make a comment that Buck prided himself on never being at home because he was at some woman’s house.  
“He’ll be home. It’s the anniversary of the Larabee family’s death after all.” Travis said, obviously understanding what Ezra was thinking.  
“Do I have a time limit?”  
“Would that benefit Buck if you did?”  
Ezra nodded, it was about his ‘mark’s’ happiness, not how quickly he could get the job done.

 

Buck ran through the rain towards the townhouse he rented. The sky had suddenly decided to turn sour and open up. His clothes were soaked through by the time he reached his porch. To his surprise, there was something already there.  
A dark brown retriever was curled up, also soaked to the bone, trying to keep out of the worst of the storm.  
“Hey there Hoss, what you doing out here by yourself? Where’s your home?” Buck bent down and patted the dog on the head.  
The dog looked up and sniffed at Buck before getting up and shaking some of the water off of him.  
“Why don’t we go inside so we don’t die of phenomena?” Buck suggested and unlocked his door.  
The dog went in grateful to get out of bad weather and Buck paused by the door to take off his overcoat which didn’t do much protecting.  
“Let’s get you dried off then.” Buck sighed.

 

Ten minutes later Buck was sitting on his couch with a towel laid out for the dog. Ezra was surprised at how bare the place was. Though it was furnished, there were no pictures on the walls. A stack of boxes sat in the corner untouched. The only thing that looked unpacked was the television and a box of video games.  
When Ezra had been imagining what Buck’s place would look like, he had in mind a bachelor set up. Clothes thrown around and dirty dishes lying in the sink. Buck’s place was mostly, well empty.  
The stuff that was used was clean, dishes washed and no clothes lying around. It was a nice contrast to the disheveled looking man he sometimes would see at work.  
Buck played around with his phone while running his hand through the dog’s hair.  
He’s pretty mellow right now, Ezra observed.  
Placing a paw on Buck’s thigh, he saw the man pull his attention away from his device.  
“Sorry about that. Just seeing if I got a text.” Buck slipped his phone into his pocket and turned to scratch the dog behind the ears, “So what should I call you, Hoss? Never was good at naming anything.” Buck laughed at a past memory, “Chris said that’d he’d never let me name any child of his because I suggested the name Marley. I can understand though. Marley and me was a pretty sad movie.” Buck’s hand stopped moving, “Thinking about it now, Marley died too of old age. Let’s not call you Marley. Maybe something fun like Rupert or Buck.” Buck laughed.  
Ezra snorted and pushed himself up into a sitting position.  
“Okay. Okay. Not Buck. I’ll come up with something eventually. For now, how about we eat.”  
Buck got up from his seat and strolled over to the fridge. The man had a life’s supply of protein shakes and fruits and vegetables.  
This totally threw Ezra off.  
“Sorry I don’t have much. Trying to keep up my image for the ladies. Means I spend most of the time drinking this awful stuff. Doubt you’d want any. I have some turkey lunch meat if you want some of that.” Buck sifted through a drawer in the fridge and pulled out a container of lunch meat. He offered it to the retriever who took it and began chewing it down.  
Buck chuckled, “Man you have no idea how easy you have it Hoss. I mean granted you were stuck outside in the cold rain, but you don’t have to worry about your friends going on suicidal watch or having to live with the guilt of being the one to take your best friend away from his family right before he lost them.”  
The man sighed and pulled out a protein shake and drank the whole thing before taking a breath.  
“He seems better this year though. No calls from the emergency room or nothing. I sat up the whole night waiting for a call that weekend, but it never came. Maybe he’s found peace this year.”  
Ezra winced inwardly. Though he did help the man, he wouldn’t say what he did had cured the man of his grief. He’d still feel it. Hopefully less, but it’ll still be there.  
“You want some more, Hoss?” Buck asked as he offered his companion more lunch meat.

 

Buck was very different in his non-work mode and non-dating mood. He was actually calm and quiet. Most of the time he spent either running on his treadmill while watching something on his television, or he was sitting next to his phone and on his computer.  
Ezra yawned and laid there wondering why the need to exercise on a rainy day. Most people would lay down and take naps.  
After Buck had ran for over an hour and a half did Ezra notice the pained look on Buck’s face. Getting up from his place on the couch, he stood beside the man on the treadmill. Sure enough the man looked frustrated and tired. He was pushing himself even though he looked ready to collapse.  
Ezra barked, trying to get the man’s attention, but Buck couldn’t hear him over the high volume of his show.  
Hell, Ezra wasn’t about to hop on the treadmill and risk injuring himself.  
Looking around, he noticed a pillow on the couch and he ran over and grabbed it. He went to the front of the treadmill and prayed this wouldn’t turn out bad.  
Dropping the cushion on the speeding machine, Buck slipped on the pillow, but caught himself on the bars. He looked down and saw Ezra barking at him.  
Stopping the machine, he got off and took out the plugs.  
“Sorry Hoss. Lost track of time. Need to go outside?”  
No. Ezra wanted to say, but the man of course wouldn’t be able to understand that.  
The retriever resisted against Buck’s pull as he led him to the back door and practically pushed him out the door.  
It was still raining and the overhanging barely kept him from getting wet.  
“Go on and do your business.” Buck said as he waited at the door.  
No way was Ezra going to do any ‘business’ outside in the rain, especially while being watched. Unfortunately, the man didn’t seem like he was going to let him back in until he did.  
Ezra sat facing the door.  
“Go on.” Buck said, trying to encourage the dog.  
Ezra gave a low growl of irritation.  
Buck shrugged and walked away from the door and him.  
Whoa wait! He needed to get back in still.  
Ezra barked, trying to get Buck to come back to the door. All he needed right now was for the man to get back on the treadmill and run himself into the ground.  
Maybe if I pretend to go then he’d reconsider.  
Ezra walked to the edge of his shelter and lifted his hind leg. Enough water was coming down you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference.  
Once he figured it was a convincing enough time wise, he went back to the door. Sure enough Buck opened it up and let him in.  
Never was that going to happen again.

It was almost time to go and all he figured out was that Buck was feeling guilty for separating the family just before their deaths. He’d have to work tomorrow after work apparently.  
Buck crashed on his couch which was kind of sad. Ezra found a blanket and after a minute of pulling it open and another trying to cover the legs and chest of the man, he was finished.  
Taking a few minutes to count, he transformed back to his human self and snuck out the door. His clothes were hidden around beside the house in a plastic bag that was sealed. Luckily the rain had finally stopped.  
Once he was dressed, he walked down the street to where his car was parked on a street over and went home.

 

At work there was talk of the stray dog Buck had found after work the other day. To make matters worse, Chris had apparently divulged to his good friend about the dog that had showed up at his door. That was the last thing he needed right now, was for them to start making connections early and putting the puzzle together.  
“What do you think Ezra?” JD asked.  
“What am I supposed to think mister Dunne?”  
“Hoss or Todd? Which is the better name for our mystery dog?”  
Ezra shrugged, “Which ever suits the person I suppose.”  
“What would you name him? Apparently everyone is starting to think of names for him.”  
“A name? Well I haven’t heard about this until now.” Ezra lied.  
“Chris calls him Todd and Buck calls him Hoss. He’s a dark brown retriever so I’m thinking Rex or something.”  
“Wow.” Ezra said accidently, “I mean to each their own moniker I suppose for the animal.”  
“I wonder what his real name is though.” Vin said as he joined the conversation.  
“I wouldn’t know.”  
“You boys better be talking about work.” Chris called from his office.  
The undercover was grateful that both men went back to their seats to work on their assignments.  
Buck looked his usual jovial self. Not letting on the slightest of what he was truly feeling.  
The man could rival him on that point.  
When it was six and everyone was leaving, Ezra slipped out the door to get a head start to the town house.  
“You think it’s strange that Ezra seems to be getting personal missions from the director recently.” Vin asked as he fiddled with a pen in his hands.  
“I mean the man is an undercover agent. He’s bound to be needed on a lot of cases.” Nathan shrugged.

 

Buck decided that it was warm enough for him to go on a run outside. He had changed into sweats and was about to head out when he heard a familiar bark.  
Looking around, he spotted the dark brown retriever sitting underneath a tree.  
“Hey, there you are. I was wondering how you got out last night. Must’ve snuck out somehow.” Buck said as he stretched a little, “You tagging along today again?”  
The dog got up from his seat and walked towards the man.  
“Hope you can keep up.” Buck grinned before setting out.  
The dog ran alongside him.  
Ezra panted alongside the man as they ran around another corner.  
When would the torture end? Ezra’s legs were tiring out fast, not used to this much physical exertion.  
He looked up at Buck who was focused on looking forward. The undercover agent wasn’t going to keep this up much longer.  
To his relief the man stopped when they came to an intersection that was big enough that it needed stop lights.  
Ezra collapsed on the piece of grass that was available. He needed water.  
Buck looked down and noticed the dog was no longer standing.  
“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry.” Buck bent down and ran his hand over the dog’s head. “I should’ve stopped a long time ago.”  
Ezra was too tired to lift his head or even open his eyes. He felt strong arms pick him up and carry him. The position was uncomfortable, but he didn’t care greatly about it. About an hour later, and a stop to a little shop where Buck had gotten someone to pour a cup of water for Ezra, they made it to the town house.  
Buck took a quick shower while Ezra rested on the couch.  
He knew he was going to smell after his workout, but he was going to be damned if he was going to have another coworker wash him.  
Buck came back into the front room and then passed into the kitchen. He was in there for a while before kneeling down in front of Ezra with a thing of dog treats.  
“I figured you’d return so I bought some of these just in case. You deserve them for putting up with me.”  
Ezra took the treats. Most of them tasted kind of funny, but his ability to eat almost anything except chocolate helped him to swallow it down.  
Buck rubbed the dog behind the ear and then got comfortable on the floor with a sigh.  
“Seems like I hurt someone else I care about. That’s all I’m good at apparently. It’s not because I’m oblivious—I’m actually pretty observant—but for some reason when I start something, I can’t stop.” The man ran a hand through his hair, “I suppose that’s why I run. Running from my problems and mistakes. Trying to get rid of all this energy so when the time comes I can stop and actually be there for the people I care about.”  
Ezra wasn’t sure that that all made sense, but thinking about it a little longer, it started to become more clear.  
“I can never ask for Chris’s forgiveness. Just being on the same team is enough.”  
Ezra couldn’t believe how much guilt these two men felt. Chris felt bad for being the one who lived when it was he who was the target apparently. Buck was feeling horrible for being the reason his friend was separated from his family at the time of the murders.  
In Ezra’s opinion, while yes Chris lost his family and that was devastatingly horrible, Buck had saved his life. There was no guaranty that the whole Larabee family wouldn’t all be killed. Of course he never had to be in that situation before so he wouldn’t know what it was like to lose someone and have that weight on you for the rest of his life.

 

Ezra sat in Travis’s office after having to spend three days outside of work with Buck. The last day had gone by a little better than the day before, so he was grateful for that.  
“So would you count this as a success, Standish?” the old man asked.  
“I wouldn’t know really. I learned a great deal about both men. I’ve yet to learn how to actually comfort someone when they are hurting emotionally.” Ezra sighed, “So I guess with that I’m to be transferred then.”  
“Why do you think I’d transfer you? These men have been dealing with these issues for years. I don’t expect them to get better in a span of two to three days. This is also your first time using your other form as an emotional support animal so there are bound to be some bumps in the process. Buck won’t completely heal until Chris does, if that helps you in anyway.”  
Ezra nodded. With that, the meeting was over and he got up from his seat and straightened his clothes.  
“You didn’t fail this time around with Buck. I think he knows he needs to stop running now from his problems. There’s no reason also to only be there for them when it’s absolutely necessary.” Travis called from the door.  
Ezra nodded again and then walked out.

In the room of Team seven, everyone was packing it in to leave for the weekend at Chris’s ranch.  
Vin turned to the undercover agent who was packing his things to go home.  
“Hey Ez, you going to final join us this weekend?”  
Ezra thought about it, and saw from the corner of his eye Chris waiting for his answer.  
“If it is alright with the owner, then I’d be happy to come.” Ezra said finally.  
Even if he wasn’t in his other form, he could use from what he learned during that time to make a difference.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Road to recovery is always long, but that just means there will be more comfort in the future.


	3. Where's Todd?

How could this have happened?  
Ezra threw on the first pair of clothes he could find before grabbing his keys and wallet and leaving his apartment. The elevator was taking too long to reach his floor so he took to the stairs. His heels echoed in the empty stairwell with each rushed step.  
His brain couldn’t comprehend yet what he had just been told. It wasn’t possible. Well it was, but the timing of it all. It couldn’t have been a coincidence, right?  
No, he never believed in those.  
Like Josiah, he didn’t believe in chances. While Josiah took to it being the power of a higher being, Ezra considering it to be the work of karma or something else bad.  
The call he had gotten from Tanner five minutes ago was rushed. All he was able to understand was that Chris was in the hospital.  
It didn’t sound as if it was something insignificant like a minor wound. Vin would’ve just told him so and that Chris would just be late for work.  
This was something worse.

By the time he finally made it to the hospital, his brain had come up with possible reasons that may have brought their leader in.  
He was attacked by a vengeful criminal. It was really just an accident, and just pretty bad. The last one he didn’t want to be true; the people who had murdered the Larabee family were coming back to finish the job.  
None of these scenarios really made him feel better as he walked up to the desk to ask where his associates were.  
Vin came down the hall to meet him and Ezra could see the frown etched in the man’s features. Things apparently weren’t looking too good then.  
“Tanner, any news so far?”  
“No, they ain’t talking much which isn’t a good sign.” Vin ran a hand through his nappy hair and gestured for Ezra to follow him to where all but two of the agents were seated.  
Buck was missing.  
“Did anyone call Wilmington yet?” he asked.  
“He’s already here.” Nathan answered automatically, he was staring at his folded hands in his lap. “He was the one who found him.”  
Found him? Ezra frowned, in confusion.  
“Do we know what exactly happened?” he asked the room.  
JD was the only one who shook his head. The others seemed incapable of movement or speech.  
Ezra turned back to Vin and noticed that the man was looking further down the hall. It must’ve been where Buck and Chris were.  
Soon he saw Buck walk out a room with a doctor. Judging by the big man’s body language, things weren’t looking too good.  
Buck took another minute after the doctor left him before making his way to the rest of the team. His hands were jammed deep in his pockets and there was blood on his shirt that Ezra hadn’t noticed before. The big man paused and seem to collect his thoughts before addressing the others.  
“He’s under sedatives right now and they were able to pump his stomach. The bleeding has stopped and has been patched up. They say we have to wait twenty-four hours before he may have any visitors. The decision, if he’s awake, is up to him though. If he’s a danger to anyone or himself then he won’t be able to have visitors.”  
Ezra’s head was swimming. Was Buck implying what Ezra thought he was?  
Chris was under suicidal watch? Larabee, the strong, brooding man that had more pride than to take the coward’s—  
No, he didn’t know what happened to lead Chris to this point. It sounded like he had been drinking.  
Ezra cursed himself for forgetting. He should’ve made more effort in checking in on the man. In his human form, Chris drank mostly in moderation around the team, but when he was alone, there was no one to stop him.  
“I’m not ready to leave yet.” JD said determinedly.  
The others nodded their agreement.  
It looked like the team was going to be stubborn and stay until they were allowed to see their leader.  
“Well I’m going to get some coffee for us.” Ezra said with a little yawn.  
After waking up from a dead sleep and booking it all the way here, he could feel his body telling him to go back to sleep since the adrenaline was all gone.  
Once he got everyone’s orders, he walked down the hall to get the drinks. Ezra was glad that the coffee here was at least good.  
They probably started making it better since the team became regular visitors and squatters in their waiting room area.  
Returning with their drinks, he set them on the table for them to take while he snuck off down the hall to find the doctor Buck had spoken to.

 

The man was standing next to a desk when he made his way over to him.  
“Excuse me doctor, I arrived kind of late and didn’t hear what brought my associate in.”  
“Which patient?” asked the doctor.  
This man hadn’t worked with the team before. Probably because none of them had been diagnosed suicidal and were put under surveillance.  
“Christopher Larabee.”  
“Like I told your friend, he isn’t to receive visitors till tomorrow at least.”  
“I know, but maybe you can make an exception.”  
“I’ve heard a little about your group from other doctors. While I know you all care for your friend, there are rules that must be kept.”  
“I understand, but I’m technically the groups emotional support animal. I’m agent Larabee’s right now.”  
The doctor didn’t exactly look at Ezra as if he was crazy, but he didn’t seem persuaded.  
“That maybe, I’ve heard of your kind before, but with the fact that you weren’t there with him when the event occurred or apparently there to the events that led up to them, I don’t find your argument that persuasive. Are you just a part-time support animal?”  
Ezra’s eyebrow twitched, the only sign that he was effected by the man’s words.  
“Your friend was to be taking anti-depression medicine. I’m sure you knew that though. Those are not to be taken and then have alcohol follow them shortly after. I’ll give your friend the benefit of the doubt and just say that the alcohol made him forget that he took his medication, because he basically OD and then started playing with kitchen knives. Mr. Wilmington was lucky that he did show up when he did. The man had cut a big artery and was bleeding pretty badly when the first responders showed.”  
Standish paled. Were things really that bad? Had he missed the signs that horribly? How did he not know that Larabee was taking anti-depressants?  
Instead of pressing to be allowed admittance to the room, he walked back to sit with the others.  
Around two in the afternoon was when the director showed up.  
Ezra didn’t see anybody call him. Probably Josiah, he had gone to go to the bathroom and could’ve made the call when he was gone.  
Ezra wasn’t sure he wanted to confront his boss right now. If his previous endeavors weren’t considered a failure, this definitely would be a huge one. The man was probably angry enough to just tell Standish to go and pack his bags right off the bat.  
Instead of the harsh words he expected, the director only went around to check in with how each of his agents were doing.  
How could he be such an idiot! That was what he was supposed to be doing. Instead of trying to comfort his distraught teammates, he just stood there feeling guilty over a failure.  
The director came up to him last.  
“Sir, I apologize. I failed Mr. Larabee and I just now realized I’m failing the others by just standing here with my hands in my pockets.”  
“Then what are you waiting for?” asked the older man.  
Ezra, who had lowered his head in shame, brought his head back up. Was he being given a second chance?  
He nodded and left the waiting room and continued all the way out the door to his car. He was glad the hospital had those parking garages what were so crammed full of cars. No one would notice him taking his clothes off in the back of his jaguar and then change his form.  
Using his front paws, he shut the door clothes. He was glad he had taken to carrying the wretched uniform emotional support animals were supposed to wear. That way there would be no, or at least fewer, questions asked about a dog walking into the hospital.

 

Making his way inside, he could feel eyes on him as he trotted down the hall to where team seven was still holding up fort.  
JD was the first to notice him coming down the hall, and the young man’s eyes got big.  
“Hey, it’s Todd/Hoss!” he said, getting everyone’s attention.  
Ezra winced at the horrible name. He would prefer it if they kept to their decided names that they came up with for him instead of combining them.  
He went up to JD who eagerly held out his hands. It was like being with a child.  
JD smiled as he scratched the dog behind his ears.  
“I had the department send for him.” Was Travis’s way of explaining Ezra’s sudden appearance.  
“So wait, that means we have an emotional support animal?” asked JD in wonder. “Why don’t we see him that often then?”  
“I have him do home visits mostly because everyone is supposed to be working during office hours and I don’t want him to be a distraction.”  
JD looked a little disappointed at this, but it was soon gone as he continued to play with the dog.  
Ezra stayed with JD a bit longer before making his way over to Josiah. He propped himself up on the man’s knees as the man smiled and patted him on the head.  
“He seems pretty well trained.” Josiah observed.  
“More so than the kid.” Buck joked.  
The room soon became loud with laughter while JD protested against Buck.  
Ezra moved onto Nathan who tried to see if he could do tricks. Shaking hands was easy enough to agree to, but rolling over, he had to pause.  
“I think he’s waiting for treats.” Buck observed when the dog just stood there.  
No, Ezra didn’t want treats, he just didn’t want to roll over.  
He sighed inwardly before laying down on the cold ground, much to the protest of his exposed private area, and did a rather uncoordinated roll onto his back before he had to shimmy his way to reach the other side and eventually stand back up.  
The men all clapped for him, but Ezra was too embarrassed to even understand that their smiles were mocking him, but were them slowly cheering up.  
Buck and JD pretended to wrestle with him while Nathan and Josiah took turns letting him lay on their laps.  
Vin had him do a game of tug and war, which he considered rigged because his paws only slipped on the tiled floor. It was basically him being slid around on his bottom after a while.  
“So I’ve decided what I’m going to call him,” JD said and looked pretty proud of himself, “I’m going to call him Gunner.”  
Buck snickered, “What kind of name is that? You’re better off calling him Kid. Then you can call someone that.”  
“It’s a good name.” JD argued. “It means warrior.”  
“I think it’s a good name too.” Josiah smiled.  
“I think I’ll call him Duke.” Nathan smiled, “The way he walks and how he acts, reminds me of someone who is very proper. He doesn’t seem like the kind of dog to do tricks.”  
“Yeah, tricks and games really aren’t his thing.” Vin chuckled.  
“What are you going to name him Vin?” JD asked next.  
“Pard.” Vin shrugged. “I’m not too good with naming anything.”  
“I’m going to call him Samson.” Josiah decided.  
“Ain’t he the one who got seduced by a woman named Delilah?” asked Nathan.  
“Sounds more like a name for Buck.” JD snickered.  
“Yeah he was seduced by a woman, but he also has long hair which is where Samson got his strength. It also means sun child or bright sun. He brings out the light and joy during dark times.”  
“So wait, are we all going to call him different names? I mean what if he gets confused?” JD pointed out.  
“What’s his real name?” Nathan asked Travis who was sitting in a chair watching with amusement.  
“He doesn’t really have one. So we just called him ESA. He’s a pretty smart dog and should be able to remember each of the names you’ve given and which belongs to which person.”

The men took turns trying it out.  
Ezra felt himself getting dizzy from turning around in the middle to find which name belonged to which of the men. First it was Todd and Hoss. Now he was Todd/Hoss/Gunner/Duke/Pard/Samson.  
After the men began to tire out, they slowly conceded to the director’s advice that they go home and rest.  
Buck was the last to leave, “Want me to take Hoss with me?” he asked.  
“I’ll see if I can get the doctors to let Chris see him before I leave.”  
Buck nodded and patted the dog on the head before making his way to the exit.

Ezra wasn’t fooled by that smile he gave. He knew better than to believe the man was okay.

 

Travis walked up to the same doctor that Ezra had tried to talk to earlier. The man noticed Ezra standing next to the old man.  
“Just because he changed his form doesn’t mean things will change. The patient isn’t allowed to have any visitors until tomorrow at the very least.”  
“I know of your recommendation and your procedures sir. However, I’m not leaving without having my man be with his support dog.” Travis said determindly.  
The doctor crossed his arms over his chest getting irritated.  
“If his presence doesn’t change the patient’s condition then I will take him back.”  
The doctor rose an eyebrow.  
“Give him the first day with the dog.”  
The doctor looked back down at Ezra before looking back up at Travis.  
“Fine. Since he’s also human, he can’t change form while he’s with the patient.”  
“That won’t be a problem.”

 

Ezra was escorted down the hall by the doctor to a room that had the door closed.  
He rested his hand on the door knob but didn’t open it. Ezra looked up at him.  
“You may have your boss having us do this, but you’ll soon show your inability to do anything and will be gone in no time.”  
Ezra felt himself liking this man less with every breath the doctor took.

Chris was still out just like the doctor had said. His wrist were bandaged as well as held to the sides of the bed by restraints. There were also restraints on his ankles.  
The hell?  
Ezra walked up to the side of the bed and choked on the smells. He could smell everything which most of them were unpleasant. Blood, alcohol, throw up. Other smells that were thanks to the hospital. He had to take a minute to adjust to it before climbing onto the bed.  
He heard the doctor protest, but he didn’t really care. Chris liked it when he lay close to his chest when he slept with him.  
Making a nice enough dent in the bed by doing a couple circles, he dropped down next to Chris and rested his head on Chris’s chest.  
He could feel the rise and fall of Chris’s chest as he slept. Ezra hoped that Chris could tell that he was there with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So this one was getting long (I needed to take a break) and I decided to make it two parts.


End file.
